Apparatus for treating articles



Au 24, 1937.- T. c. BIE'TH 2,090,993

APPARATUS FOR TREATING ARTICLES Original Filed Jan. s, 1933 4 INVENTOR.

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3 fild ATTORNEY.

Patented Aug. 24, 1937v APPARATUS FOR TREATING ARTICLES Tom Conrad Bith, Hedcmora, Sweden, assignor' to Electrolux Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Original application January '5, 1933, Serial No. 650,303. Divided and this application July 13, 1935, SerialNo. 31,174. In Germany April 12,

This is a division of my copending application Serial No. 650,303, flied January 5, 1933, Patent No. 2,028,861, issued January 28, 1936.

The present invention relates to such matters 5 as demothing fabric materials, such as clothes. By demothing is meanttreatment, for example, with the gas of para-dichlorobenzol or para-dibromobenzol, to protect against moths. The invention also relates to disinfecting or perfuming 10 or other treatment of articles wherein a gas such as air laden with the vapor of an insecticide or P rfume is used. The invention also relates to vacuum cleaners adapted for blowing action and having means for creating a vapor of the kind in- 15 dicated. Furthermore, the invention relates to coupling means for connecting a gas conduit to a container. V

It has been proposed to introduce into a container such as a garment bag a gas for treating articles. This is disclosed, for example, in U. S.

Patent No. 1,119,986, to Pleger. Previous arrangements of this sort have requirecf'* a'special connection. It is one of the objects of the invention to provide apparatus whereby an ordinary 5 arment bag or other receptacle can be used for thei purpose indicated without structural modificat on.

The invention will be readily understood by reference to the accompanying description of the embodiments thereof shown in the accompanying drawing and herein described, said drawing forming a part of this specification, and of which: ti Fig. 1 is an assembly view showing the inven- 35 Fig. 2 is a sectional view of part of the arrangement of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a different relative disposition of the parts and showing more of the entire structure;

Fig. 4 shows another form of coupling in accordance with the invention; and

Fig. 5 is an elevational view, partly broken away, of part of the arrangement of Fig. 1.

Reference character i designates a garment 45 bag, which may be of any of various types of construction. For example, the garment bag may be made of rubberized cloth. In the side wall oi. the garment bag is an elongated opening ll through which clothes or the like may be inserted into 50 the bag. The bag is provided with a hook I2 for hanging it up as in a closet. The opening II is closed by a sliding member I 3, as shown in Fig. 5, prongs it being provided in the wall portions adjacent the opening, which prongs are hooked 55 together by means of the sliding member i3. This 10 Claims. (01. 21-127) type of fastening means is generally known by v the term Zipper" and may be called a slide fastener. The invention is not limited to the use of a slide fastener closure, but the wall portions adjacent the opening may, for example, be. brought together and the opening closed by means of snap fasteners or hooks and eyes. Means should be provided to permit gas to leave the bag Ill. The slide fastener is advantageous for this purpose I since it does not constitute an absolutely tight closure. If a tight closure is used, an opening should be provided. for the escape of gas.

A coupling l5 holds a conduit iii in opening ll. Conduit l6 may be a tube of a vacuum cleaner. Connected to conduit i5 is the ordinary air hose. ll of a vacuum cleaner. The air hose is connected to a vaporizer l8 arranged at the outlet end of the casing l9 of a vacuum. cleaner unit. The casing I9 encloses a fan and a motor 2| for drivingthe fan. Air is drawn through the vacuum cleaner unit and passes through the vaporizer l3 and thencethrough the hose l1 and conduit i5 into the bag iii. The vaporizer l8 contains a substance adapted to diffuse into air and form the gas to be introduced into the bag llfor treating articles therein. For example, vaporizer I! may contain crystals of para-dichlorobenzol'or para-dibromobenzol. If the crystals of this substance are used, the vaporizer may be provided with a screen 22 for preventing entrance of crystals into the hose l1 and is preterably provided with means such as vanes 23 for causing the air to whirl and thus stir up the crystals in the vaporizer. Alternatively to the construction shown, a vaporizer may be used as shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,842,900, granted January 26, 1932.

The'coupling l5 comprises a member 25 having a central passage or bore 26adapted to fit onto the conduit IS. The end of conduit l6 may be tapered and the bore 26 of member 25 likewise tapered. A disc-shaped flange 21 projects outwardly from the central portion of member 25. The coupling l5 includes a second part 28, which has a central ring-shaped hub portion and an outwardly projecting disc-shaped flange 29. Member 25 has a shoulder 30 against which the hub portion of part 28 abuts so that the hub portion or part 28 cannot be placed closer to the flange 21 than a given distance, thus providing a 5 space 3| between them. Flange 29 is dished and has an outer bead 32. The flange is made of resilient material, such as rubber. If the flange 29 is in the position shown in Fig. 2, by pressing the bead 32 to the right, as shown, the flange can snap past a position which is essentially perpendicular to the axis of conduit l6 and snap toward flange 21 so that if there is nothing in the space 3 l the flanges 29 and 21 will rest against 5 each other at their outer parts. The bead 32 may be grasped by the fingers and the flange 29 snapped back again out of contact with flange 21. The flange 21 is preferably made of stifl material and the whole member 25 may, if desired, '10 be made of some such material as Bakelite or other phenol condensation product or ordina y metal or of wood. It is possible however, to make the flange 21 resilient. The whole part 25 may likewise be made of rubber so that both flanges can be snapped to one side or the other of a plane essentially perpendicular to the axis of conduit It. In assembling the parts, the coupling I5 is placed on the conduit as by jamming the coupling onto the tapered end of conduit IS. The

flange 29 is placed in the position shown in Fig. 2 and the coupling is then loosely inserted in the elongated opening ll, preferably at the bottom thereof, so that the wall portions adjacent the opening are in the space 3| between the flanges of the coupling. Sliding member I3 is then drawn downwardly until it is also between the flanges 21 and 29. The flange 29 is then snapped toward the flange 21 and thus the wall portions of the receptacle adjacent' the elongated opening 30 and the sliding member l3 are held in the space 3| pressed between the flanges 29 and 21. Thus the conduit i6 is firmly held in the opening II and in position to discharge vapor-laden air or other gas into the receptacle. It "will be seen that the flanges lock the sliding member between them. It will be seen that no special connection is necessary in the receptacle for introducing gas therelnto.

To nncouple the assembly, the fingers can readily be worked under or grasp flange 29 and this flange snapped loose from the wall 01' the receptacle, whereupon the sliding member l3 can be raised and the coupling removed.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the flexible flange 29 is made integral with the central part of the coupling which is adjacent the hose. Furthermore, the interior of. this central part is formed with various diameters, as indicated at 32, to accommodate diflerent sizes of hose. A

shoulder 34 is provided for fixing the position of the flanged parts relative to each other.

What is claimed is: a 1. The combination with a receptacle having an elongated opening and a sliding member adapted to close said opening, and a. conduit for conveying gas into said receptacle, of a coupling adapted to flt on said conduit and having flanges and adapted to be applied to said receptacle so that wall portions of the receptacle adjacent mthe opening and said sliding member are disposed between said flanges, at least one of said flanges being of snap construction and so disposed as to permit the flanges to press the aforesaid wall portions and sliding member between them. 2. The combination with a receptacle having an elongated opening and a sliding member adapted to'close said opening, and a conduit for conveying gas into said receptacle, of a coupling adapted to fit on said conduit and having flanges and adapted to be applied to said receptacle so that wall portions of the receptacle adjacent the opening and said sliding member are disposed between said flanges, at least one of said flanges being disc-shaped and dished and made of resilient material andso disposed as to permit the flanges to press the aforesaid wall portions and sliding member between them, whereby the flanges can be unsnapped to release the same from the receptacle.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which at least one of the flanges is made of rubber.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which at least one of the flanges is made of rubber and disc-shaped and dished.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which at least one of the flanges is made 01' resilient. material and is dished and has an outer bead.

'7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which at least one of the flanges is made of rubber and is dished and has an outer bead.

8. Apparatus as set forth-in claim 1 in which at least one of the flanges is made of rubber and is disc-shaped and dished and has a peripheral bead.

9. The combination with a receptacle having an elongated opening and a'- sliding member adapted to close said opening, and a conduit for conveying gas into said receptacle, of a coupling for holding said conduit in said opening said coupling having spaced flanges adapted to engage the inner and outer sides of said receptacle adjacent to said opening to prevent displacement of said coupling when said sliding member reduces said opening to a size less than that of said flanges.

10. The combination with a vacuum cleaneradapted for blowing including a vaporizer and a conduit, and a receptacle having an opening, of means detachable from both the vacuum cleaner and the receptacle for holding said conduit in said opening, said means comprising a flrst flanged member adapted to engage said conduit, and a second flanged member mounted on said first member, one of said flanges being resilient and adapted to be snapped into and out of contact with the other flange.

TOM. CONRAD Bnt'ra. 

